Orchard Facilities Management’s reactive maintenance team was recently called out to help a landlord client in West Yorkshire who had received a complaint from a tenant.

The tenant was concerned that the extractor unit in the kitchen wasn’t working so our teams went out to fix the problem.

When the maintenance team arrived it quickly became clear that this wasn’t simply a broken extractor. A full inspection of the unit and ducts found an accumulation of grease and debris that had collected over several years. As well as creating fumes, this was a major fire risk and needed urgent attention to make sure the landlord’s premises were fully compliant with health and safety legislation.

Orchard FM cleaned the extraction system and tested it thoroughly to make sure the issue had been resolved. Extraction units should be cleaned annually to reduce the risk of fire and fumes. This unit hadn’t been cleaned for five years, putting tenants’ lives at risk and placing the landlord in the dangerous position of failing to maintain the property to the required legal standards.

All our clients receive detailed advice on their compliance obligations. As part of our estates helpdesk service we schedule testing and maintenance of client premises and properties to make sure they don’t fall below the required standard of upkeep. Every company and building is unique and will require differing levels of attention according to its structure and use. We carry out a thorough compliance audit in the first instance before recommending urgent fixes and an ongoing schedule of checks and repairs.

Our compliance service is available to all businesses, whatever their size. To find out more contact 01422 880 180.